Pressed into print — Here are some explanations of different types of printing:

Offset printing — This is a common type of printing where the image is transferred from a plate, first to a rubber blanket, then to the printing surface. Until recently, most printers transferred the image first to film, and then to plate. Today, however, the technology is largely direct-to-plate, with no film stage. Although the printing itself is relatively inexpensive, the set-up charges (front-end costs) are the same regardless of quantity. As a result, the price for a small print run (under 1,000) will be more expensive on a per-unit basis than larger quantities.

Sheet-fed offset press — As the name suggests, sheet-fed printing presses print onto large sheets of paper that can range from very thin to very thick cardboard-type paper. This is the most common type of printing for medium- to high-volume print runs.

Web press — No, this has nothing to do with the Internet. A web press is used for very high-volume printing (tens of thousands of copies). The paper tends to be thinner than that used for a sheet-fed press, and is loaded onto the press in huge rolls. Large-circulation newspapers and magazines are printed on web presses.

Digital output — Unlike offset printing, digital output is essentially high-quality laser printing. The colour can vary greatly from machine to machine. A good option for very small quantities, or when exact colour reproduction is not necessary.